Hellboy and the Legend of Spearfinger
by DARK KNIGHT of the MOON
Summary: Hellboy is sent to Tennessee by the B.P.R.D to help a village of Cherokee Natives who have unleashed a figure of ancient Cherokee legend, known as Spearfinger.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1 – A Briefing of Sorts**

 **B.P.R.D. Headquarters, Fairfield, Connecticut, 1989**

The loud knock at his door jarred Abe Sapien awake. The long trip back from Ireland had left him exhausted and he had barely slept. The fish-man rose slowly from his oversized bathtub, splashing water all over the floor in a daze as the incessant knocking continued. He rubbed his eyes and moved quickly through his immaculate, well-furnished and spacious quarters to the large wrought-iron door, finally opening it.

"Wake up, Abraham," Kate Corrigan shuffled past him, entering in a rush with Hellboy and Liz Sherman behind her.

"Beg pardon, Professor Corrigan, what's this about? We just got back to headquarters late last night." Abe shut the door and followed the professor's every move with his eyes.

"I know Brother Blue, she wouldn't listen to me either, but sometimes, there's just no rest for the wicked," Hellboy patted his frequent partner on the shoulder before pulling a match from his coat and lighting a cigar.

"I'm not all to blame, Abe," Professor Corrigan shot back. "Director Manning wants us to move on this as soon as possible."

"And don't worry, Abe. You don't have to leave again. Kate just wants you to help her consult this new case," Liz Sherman lit a cigarette with her finger and leaned against the far wall, inhaling it.

"Another case already?" Abe whined. "I am exhausted."

"How was your time in Ireland, Abe?" Kate Corrigan sat on an old chair in the corner of the room.

"Well, I did all the work. I found the troll. And I cast the spell that trapped it in that old house. All Hellboy did was hit it a bunch of times."

"And what did Liz do?" Kate inquired blithely.

"Oh nothing really, unless you count setting the house on fire. But hey, no more troll. What was that creature's name again?"

"The Peromerilac, and before anyone says anything, trolls are really hard to kill." Liz replied.

"Yeah. He was a mean sucker. And the owner wasn't too happy to find his house on fire either," Hellboy continued smoking his cigar and sat on a large suede sofa situated in the center of Abe's room, browsing through a stack of Abe's books on a nearby table. "The Definitive Guide To Antique Furniture? Abe, your taste in books needs a little work. You wanna borrow some of my Lobster Johnson magazines?"

"Some other time, Hellboy," Abe acknowledged.

"Anyway, the reason we're all here now is, as Liz said, I need some help with research. A Native American gentleman, a Cherokee, contacted me when you guys were gone and is now claiming that he has resurrected an old woman from Cherokee legend known as U'tlun'ta or Spearfinger. This woman is apparently very dangerous for his village. He wants the B.P.R.D. to stop her. I've dug up a lot of information and I need you, Abe, to help me decipher it."

"And Hellboy is going to go find this witch?"

"Yep. It's my lot in life," Hellboy replied with his nose in a book.

"She's not really a witch, but she does possess some supernatural power," Kate informed.

"And why is she called Spearfinger exactly?" Liz puffed on her cigarette.

"Because her forefinger is long and has a sharp edge, shaped like a knife or a spear," Kate continued. "In fact, Hellboy should be careful. The literature I've read on this legend so far says she's a shape shifter who can look like anyone and feeds on the livers of children and small animals."

"Well, it's a good thing I'm neither of those then, huh. Look, I'm heading back to my quarters. If this witch as dangerous as you say, Kate, I'm gonna need some rest."

"She's not classified as a witch, Hellboy," Corrigan corrected.

"Whatever! When you have what you need, tell Manning to get the whirlybird ready and I'll fly out to meet this man." Hellboy rose from the sofa, put out the cigar on his arm and headed towards the door. "Where is this again?"

"Eastern Tennessee. And the man's name is Charles Chea Sequah. It means Red Bird. He'll show you where she's hiding."

"Swell, my very own Indian guide."

"Native American guide," Kate corrected him.

"Even better. If anybody needs me, do not disturb unless it's an emergency." Hellboy waved with his massive stone hand as he opened the door and headed back to his quarters.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2 – Meeting On the Mountain**

 **Blount County, Tennessee, Two Days Later**

The chopper blades whirled with an intensity unmatched by most modern machines as it touched down on a gravel road at the base of Chilhowee Mountain, a low ridge where the dreaded Spearfinger was said to haunt. The chopper wound down, the large steel blades coming to a complete stop, as Hellboy stepped out. Three other agents, all dressed in tan suits and dark sunglasses, followed Hellboy out of the helicopter, lining up in a row behind him.

In the distance Hellboy noticed a dingy looking red _Jeep Wrangler_ speeding towards the helicopter. The vehicle got closer and slowed down, finally pulling next to the aircraft and promptly parking. Wasting no time, the driver exited and approached the men with a heavy eagerness.

"You are the creature that Miss Corrigan told me was a specialist in folklore?" the man extended his left hand, looking at Hellboy with a hint of fear in his eyes, marveling at his large stone hand.

"Well, I don't know about all that," Hellboy shook the stranger's hand. "Hi! My name is Hellboy. I'm with the Bureau of Paranormal Research and Defense. And these are some of my contemporaries, Agent Rogers, Agent Stern and Agent Byrne."

"Hello!" The man acknowledged the three agents but his greeting garnered no response from any of them. "Mr. Hellboy, I am Charles Chea Sequah, known as Red Bird to my tribe. I fear I have made a horrible mistake."

"Well, if we have a witch on our hands, and you're responsible, I'd say you're right, Charlie."

"It is actually a long story. You see, the government allows a group of my people to live in a nearby village that we have set up as part of an agreement over protected land. But, I won't bore you with those details. My village is back there." The man paused and pointed behind him to show where the relative location of his village was before continuing. "And we as a people have certain customs. We hold ceremonies and practice sacred rituals. You see, a fortnight ago I was using some ancient incantations, an ancient rhythm of my people in a healing ceremony for one of our young girls. Something went wrong and the next morning we started seeing her signs."

"Signs? And what might those be?"

"Well the most obvious one is her song. Her voice echoes down the mountain to our village. She also has a large bird, a raven that watches over the land for her. When you hear its call you know she is coming. Brown smoke sometimes billows from the top of the mountain and there are also footprints of white sand around our village. You see, the natural form of U'tlun'ta is stone and when she walks, she crushes rocks beneath her feet. We tried to ignore the signs but when two of our children went missing, I knew I had cursed the land. I have shamed my village. My people are angry with me. I pray that you can help me make amends."

"Wait a minute!" Hellboy halted. "Back up! Are you saying that this thing nabbed two kids?"

"Well, yes. You see, U'tlun'ta uses her long, sharp finger to cut open her victims and then feeds on the livers of children and –."

"Small animals? Yeah, I heard about that."

"It only makes sense that she would return here after all this time because she used to haunt a nearby trail that joined this mountain with the Little River."

"Okay, Charlie. I've heard enough. Thank you for your cooperation. I'm gonna set up camp near here and find her. Thanks for meeting with me. And don't you worry, I'm gonna put a stop to this."

"Oh, just so you know Mr. Hellboy, she can look like anyone. She typically resembles an elderly woman."

"Got it. Thanks a lot. I'll report to your village once I have taken care of your little problem."

"May the gods bless you, Mr. Hellboy. Thank you again!" Charles Chea Sequah again shook Hellboy's left hand and quickly got back in the Jeep.

As soon as the engine started, the man sped away. Hellboy gestured to his colleagues, who promptly removed some gear from the chopper: an oversized tent, four large containers of pancakes, a giant vat of chili with extra beans, a bottle of tequila and various weapons and equipment.

"Thanks Byrne! Did you guys document everything that Charlie told us?"

"Yes, Hellboy!"

"Alright! I'll radio in if there's an emergency."

"Right! Anything else?" Agent Byrne requested.

"That'll be all, boys. Now you might wanna get out of here," Hellboy recommended. "It could be a couple of rough days."


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3 – In the Woods Where the Action Is**

The next afternoon Hellboy sat on a log just outside his tent eating from his large vat of chili. The cool mountain air stung his skin so he crowded in closer over the small campfire that he had constructed to warm his food. He had begun his morning with pancakes for breakfast, walking through the woods and near the river, trying to find any sign of the stone woman known as Spearfinger. He had found nothing. _Was she hiding_? Now, only five hours later, he was studying the literature that Kate had compiled into a large red book. As he stirred the beans in his chili bowl, he spooned the thick chili into his mouth and continued reading.

From out of the corner of his eye Hellboy suddenly noticed what appeared to be heavy brown smoke in the sky. He glanced around frantically until finally noticing that it's point of origin was just up the mountain. Suddenly the raven flew overhead and Hellboy swore that he heard whispers in the lush forest that surrounded him.

"Well, guess lunch is over. " Hellboy threw down his bowl, rose to his feet and quickly yanked his trademark weapon from its holster. It was the oversized gunmetal gray revolver that was given to him by the Torch of Liberty when he was twelve. Hellboy had heard once that someone apparently dubbed the weapon _The Good Samaritan_ , but Hellboy didn't care about what it was called as long as it didn't jam and could save his ass. He held it in an upright position, just as he held the red book up and began reading a cherokee incantation:

Nu'na La Uwa Sa'we

Bring U'tlun'ta from down the mountain

Nu'na La Uwa Sa'we

Let her dwell here no more

Nu'na La Uwa Sa'we

Take away her power from this land

Nu'na La Uwa Sa'we

Starve her spirit and banish her forever

At those words a woman, in what appeared to be a stone dress, appeared from out of the trees. Hellboy jumped back and glanced at her. The old hag stood at least seven feet tall, with grey rock-like skin, almost resembling a statue. Her long hair was scraggly and untamed. The robe-like stone dress she wore was craggy and reached to her ankles. The hulking stone sandals that adorned her feet made grinding, crunching noises as she moved. Her blue-grey eyes, lacking irises or pupils, suddenly turned midnight black. Finally she pointed her grotesque stone finger at Hellboy. It was at least eight inches long and extremely thick with a point as a knife.

"Damn, you're ugly, lady," Hellboy provoked her. "Aren't you supposed to sneak up on me dressed like an old grandmother or something?" There was no response. "No? You wanna get right to it then? Fine by me. Let's do this!"

Standing frozen for a brief moment, the statueesque witch suddenly began to sing:

Uwe la na tsiku. Su sa sai.

Liver, I eat it. Su sa sai.

Uwe la na tsiku. Su sa sai.

"Shut up, witch!" Hellboy bellowed, aiming his gun at her head and firing. The bullet ricocheted loudly off of her cheek. In frustration, Hellboy threw his gun to the ground.

Spearfinger smiled and laughed. "You cannot harm me, demon. I am of the Earth, a goddess of stone. I am immortal."

"We'll see about that!" Hellboy hurtled towards her.

His stone hand crashed fiercely into the hag's head, knocking Hellboy back near the campfire where he was previously studying. He grabbed the book and was flipping pages to find her weakness when a small woodpecker landed on the log.

"Her hand. You must injure her hand. Shoot it. Tear it off. Remove her finger. It will destroy her heart and she will die."

"Thanks Woody," Hellboy smiled as the bird flew away.

Hellboy threw down the book and lunged for his gun, aiming it at Spearfinger's right hand and pulling the trigger. He missed as the stone woman raised her right hand and stones of all shapes and sizes, from all around the forest began to levitate.

"Oh crap!" Hellboy's eyes widened with apprehension.

Suddenly rocks started flying at him. Hellboy darted left and right, deflecting them with his stone hand, avoiding most, until he got close enough to the old crone to tackle her. The demon jumped on the stone woman, punching her in the face with his stone hand as hard as he could. The two tumbled over each other in a fury until Hellboy was on top of her, trying to tear her right hand off. From out of nowhere Spearfinger's pet raven appeared, attempting to knock Hellboy off of her master.

"Get away from me, you goddamned bird," Hellboy swiped at the bird, punching it with his left hand and knocking it violently into a tree.

Spearfinger saw that Hellboy was distracted by her pet so she pushed as savagely as she could to get him to release her. Hellboy's right hand held a furious grip to the spear finger itself and with great resistance, as the old hag pushed him off of her, her finger was dicerped from her hand.

Hellboy fell on his back, unaware at first of what had happened. When Spearfinger rose to her knees, the earth trembled slightly as she unleashed a maddening howl of pain and began clutching her chest. Hellboy stood up, looking at the old witch and then at the sharp finger he held in his hand.

"I'll be back, you fool. I'll return and have my revenge," Spearfinger managed to cry out before her body exploded into a pile of dust and rubble.

"You guys always say that. And it rarely happens. Goodbye Spearfinger. Thanks for the souvenir." Hellboy held the finger up to the sunlight and examined it. "Now, to get to that village and get the hell home."


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4 – Welcome To the Village**

Night had fallen on the village. It was a rustic settlement of vegetable gardens, fruit trees, a smokehouse, a greenhouse, a well and twenty large wooden cabins constructed in rows of four. Eight vehicles of various makes and models, including the red _Jeep Wrangler_ , were parked at various spots in the village. The government paid for all of the upkeep on the buildings and the vehicles as part of their agreement with the tribe. The village encompassed about five acres of land with a population of about one hundred fifty people.

Hellboy had hiked from his campsite to the village in about an hour. As he entered via the main road he saw four of the villagers, two men and two boys, each carrying a full rainbarrel to the expansive vegetable garden that was carefully planted out front.

"Hi! I'm Hellboy," Hellboy greeted with a wave of his massive stone hand. "I'm the guy who met with Charlie Red Bird yesterday morning about this Spearfinger thing. And you can rest easy now, the job is done."

Three of the four villagers stared at Hellboy with suspicion and mumbled to each other in their native language, while one of the men approached Hellboy.

"Yes. Red Bird said they had sent a large red demon creature. I hope he was polite to you for you are most perplexing," the man spoke, shaking Hellboy's left hand. "My name is Daniel Kanuna, I am called Bullfrog. The two boys are George Mohe and Kenneth Salal, Elk and Squirrel. And the other gentleman is David Oukonunaka, White Owl. Welcome, Mr. Hellboy. For slaying U'tlun'ta you have helped to avenge the deaths of our young kin, and as such you have made yourself our brother. We wish to offer you a place here for as long as you need."

"Thanks, Bullfrog" Hellboy acknolwedged as the group began to stroll through the village. "But I'm really only going to need to stay for the night. I promised Charlie I'd report back here when I –."

"Say no more, brother Hellboy. Feel free to leave whenever you like," Bullfrog smiled.

"Thanks. I left my camp a few miles back and I'll be out of your hair in the morning."

"Are you hungry? Some of our ladies are making a late night stew and preparing corn bread. Or if you prefer we have three deer that have been prepared for eating."

"Actually the big fight today left me pretty tired. Just a bed would be nice."

"It will have to be a very large bed," a voice from behind them joked.

Hellboy, Bullfrog and the rest turned around to see a smiling Charles Red Bird standing behind them.

"Charlie!" Hellboy greeted with a handshake.

"Back already? I didn't expect you to finish U'tlun'ta off so quickly."

"Frankly, neither did I. She was tough at first until I figured out her weakness."

"And how did you find it?" Charles Red Bird stood with his arms crossed.

"Let's just say a little bird told me. Speaking of which, I brought you a little keepsake," Hellboy pulled a small object from his left coat pocket.

"U'tlun'ta's finger?" Bullfrog cried out.

White Owl and the two young boys began speaking frantically in their native tongue.

"Keep it away, brother Hellboy. We do not want such a cursed object," White Owl finally verbalized in English.

"Cursed object? Guys, it's just a finger."

"No. It is U'tlun'ta's finger. It has cut into human flesh. It has destroyed lives and has upset the balance of nature. To even touch it will displease the gods. We cannot accept it," Charles Red Bird hissed.

"Okay guys, take it easy. I just thought you might want to keep it for some reassurance. I'll take it back to the B.P.R.D. I'm sure Kate can catalog it there."

"Ah, good. Yes, give it to Miss Corrigan," Charlie Red Bird suggested.

"Will do. Now, about that bed, I'm really –."

Hellboy's words were cut off as he suddenly felt as if he was being watched. What appeared to be a group of nearly seventy five people stood in front of the men and were staring at Hellboy intently. They had appeared from various points in the village, as if simultaneously. Hellboy looked on as many of them seemed perplexed, some even scared by his appearance.

"Ah, come meet the rest of our village, brother Hellboy. Plenty of time for rest later." Charles Red Bird put his arm around the big red demon and began leading him deeper into the settlement.

"Oh crap. It's gonna be one of those nights," Hellboy muttered as he threw up his great stone hand and offered a nervous wave.

 **The End**


End file.
